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Analogies are powerful and dangerous things

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 November 2006

Monique Borgerhoff Mulder ,
Richard McElreath  and
Kari Britt Schroeder
Monique Borgerhoff Mulder*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Graduate Group in Ecology, Population Biology Graduate Group, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA95616http://www.anthro.ucdavis.edu/faculty/monique/MBMWeb/Moniqueshomepage.htm Department of Anthropology, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA95616http://arbeit.ucdavis.edu/mcelreath/, http://www.anthropology.ucdavis.edu/anthro/gprofile/gradprofile_e.cfm?id=70
Richard McElreath*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Graduate Group in Ecology, Population Biology Graduate Group, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA95616http://www.anthro.ucdavis.edu/faculty/monique/MBMWeb/Moniqueshomepage.htm Department of Anthropology, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA95616http://arbeit.ucdavis.edu/mcelreath/, http://www.anthropology.ucdavis.edu/anthro/gprofile/gradprofile_e.cfm?id=70
Kari Britt Schroeder*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA95616http://arbeit.ucdavis.edu/mcelreath/, http://www.anthropology.ucdavis.edu/anthro/gprofile/gradprofile_e.cfm?id=70
*
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
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Abstract:

The analogy between biological and cultural evolution is not perfect. Yet, as Mesoudi et al. show, many of the vaunted differences between cultural and genetic evolution (for example, an absence of discrete particles of cultural inheritance, and the blurred distinction between cultural replicators and cultural phenotypes) are, on closer inspection, either illusory or peripheral to the validity of the analogy. But what about horizontal transmission? We strongly agree with the authors that the potential for horizontal transmission of cultural traits does not invalidate an evolutionary approach to culture. We suggest, however, that it does require a different evolutionary treatment.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 29 , Issue 4 , August 2006 , pp. 350 - 351
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006

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